Epidemic
by FairyTailWzard
Summary: "There cannot be peace without first a great suffering." New people and information comes to light and Frostbite finds the world is not as simple as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to Epidemic!**

**This book is the love and labor of a project almost four years in the making!**

_**I'm putting this disclaimer here.**_

_**I do not own My Hero Academia, I only own the storyline, the cover, and my own characters.**_

_**This story will also contain themes of torture, gore/blood, abuse, etc. **_

_**I'll put a warning in each chapter that contains it, but just be warned and do not read this book if the above mentioned subjects are triggers for you.**_

_**That being said, this chapter does contain violence.**_

….

Frostbite showed up on her doorstep that night; bruised, battered, and covered in blood.

Right.

Some explaining was probably in order.

Especially to her mother and father who would undoubtedly be worried sick.

…

*_the previous day_*

Frostbite Midoriya, seventeen year old adopted daughter of the number one hero and his wife, Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Midoriya, sat in a cafe booth in a bustling diner. She sat cross legged, cradling a porcelain mug in one gloved hand with a paper wrapped sandwich in the other. Snow fluttered from the sky but she didn't seem to mind as she sipped at a cold mix of watered down hot cocoa and sugar.

Across from her sat a boy, perhaps one year older than her at the most. His hair was the color of mouse fur and his eyes the color of purple orchids. His fingers were bandaged as a result of one too many nicks with a scalpel, his crooked nose telling the story of one too many run ins with bullies.

He was Takashi Tanaka, quirkless and also her best friend since third grade. His stuffed backpack showing he was a current medical student at the local high school. They had made it a point to get together when they could over lunch and just talk. Especially with exams for both of them coming up, they needed some companionship.

He sat across from her, nursing his own mug of overly-sweetened coffee and waving a paper in his well-manicured fingers,

"I'm telling you Frostbite! She's a spittin' image of you minus the eyes!" He rambled, shoving the paper in her direction. Said paper was a newspaper clipping he had snagged from a doctor he had been studying under.

It was waterlogged and torn from Takashi not putting it away during his trek through the snow. In the background of the main article of a hero posing for a photo, was a grainy figure of a woman. Takashi had circled her in purple pen he had borrowed, claiming it was a woman looking exactly like Frostbite. She couldn't make out much detail besides a similar shaped nose and the familiar pout she saw whenever she looked in the mirror. But that didn't prove anything.

"I dunno Takashi, she looks like any ol' woman t' me." She mumbled through a mouthful of ham sandwich, her old street-slang type accent slipping through into her speech.

"I'm telling you! I saw her with my own two eyes after a clinic! She's a spitting image! Weird hair and all!" He was almost spitting crumbs and she rolled her eyes,

"I'll believe it when I see it. And I don't have weird hair!" She swallowed her bite and took a sip of her cooling drink.

Takashi glowered before seeming to get an idea. His orchid colored eyes lit up and he set his mug down to smack the table lightly.

"I know where she hangs out, this medical group I'm in goes down there to help the homeless and stuff, I could show you by sundown." He countered and she paused, curious piqued but wary. Izuku has told her to be home by seven o'clock at the latest for dinner and it was five forty-seven now. Plus it was hamburger night at home and she didn't want to miss Izuku's American style burgers.

Takashi must've sensed her hesitation,

"Oh c'mon! We can go see if we find her and be home within an hour!"

Frostbite pushed her glasses up her nose and hoisted her backpack higher onto her shoulders as she followed Takashi across streets and through dingy alleyways. They had been running for nearly thirty minutes and she was getting irritated.

"I thought you said this would be quick!" She snapped and Takashi shot a glare back at her,

"I still have half an hour to keep my promise!" Was all he said before skidding to a stop and nearly causing her to topple them over into a trash heap.

She looked around, the area was bustling in the setting sun. It was a shady part of town she would frequent when she was younger; lots of bars meant lots of drunkards to pickpocket. She had gotten her favorite hat (which was long gone) from this place.

"I'm not seein' her Tak-"

"Frostbite look!" She did and felt the world spin to a stop.

A Hispanic woman, perhaps in her mid to late forties judging by how she carried herself, though she looked younger than that, stood across the street. Her hair was cut short, a ruffled pixie cut, her eyes a deep brown. Her skin was darkened by the sun and her ethnicity but she looked so _familiar_.

The slope of her nose was the same and the pout of her lips looked exactly like Frostbite's. Hell, she even had the same freckles dotting her cheekbones. She had that tired look in her eyes, as if she knew things better left forgotten. She was wrapped in a long coat, the kind Frostbite saw prostitutes wear late at night when they were looking for business. Frostbite clenched her fists, getting to her feet and turning away. The woman; who Frostbite didn't even know if she was her mother, was a prostitute.

"W-woah wait! Frostbite!" Takashi scrambled after her as she stormed away.

"Aren't you going to talk to her?"

"Why would I? She clearly doesn't want me. She didn't want me when I was born, I probably got in the way of her job. So why should she want me now?" She turned back to glance at the woman one last time and froze as she saw those coffee brown eyes staring back at her, welled with tears and wide with emotion. However, as the woman stepped closer, Frostbite turned and ran.

…

She went home, silent and confused. Had that woman really been her mother? Was Takashi pulling an elaborate prank? She didn't think so, but her skeptical mind was keeping on her toes and making her paranoid. Her thoughts were racing as she picked at the burger and salad on her plate.

Her parents didn't think anything of it, afterall she was always quiet. Especially with final exams for her second year at UA coming up. For the past month and a half, she had spent any time not at school, studying in her bedroom or at the local library. As far as they knew, that's where she had been all afternoon. And she wasn't about to tell them she had been hanging with Takashi instead.

They all washed the dishes, Frostbite still doing her age old job of drying the dishes. She missed having Toto at her feet. Her best friend had passed away a year prior, just before she had started school, due to kidney failure. That year had been hell, she had nearly dropped out, but her therapist had helped her with processing her grief

Now she was left with a feeling of loss. She didn't want another dog, she knew they couldn't replace Toto. So she dealt with it on her own, taking out her frustrations with training with Katsuki and sessions with her therapist

Frostbite kissed her parents on the cheek, murmuring a good night before heading to bed, changing into her pajamas and brushing her teeth. Her bedroom had changed throughout the years, her walls remained bare and her desk scattered with textbooks and notebooks. Her school uniform hung on her desk chair, her backpack with completed homework beside it.

A single framed photo hung above the nightstand next to her bed. Said photo was the day her adoption papers had been finalized and her last name legally changed to Midoriya. Izuku has swept Frostbite off her feet and onto his shoulders despite her shrieking at the motion. Ochako had taken the photo, capturing the fearful delight on Frostbite's face and the tears of joy glittering in Izuku's eyes. Toto had been jumping at their feet, his tail a blur as he tried to figure out what was going on.

She kissed her fingers and brushed them against Toto's picture. His collar lay below the picture, atop a hand carved box that held his cremated ashes.

"Good night Toto, love you." She whispered as she climbed into bed and put her glasses on the nightstand, switching the lamp off and plunging the room into darkness.

…

UA high school was bustling with sleep deprived students and fresh faced first years as Frostbite switched into her indoor shoes and shut her locker. Her backpack was heavy with dread and schoolwork, her glasses slipping down her nose as she shoved her way to her homeroom class. A weight crashed into her side and she stumbled, casting a glare at the perpetrator.

Akira Ito, seventeen year old second year and one of her two best friends, grinned happily. Her black hair had been styled in a neat bun (_Frostbite claimed it looked like a bagel but Akira refused to listen to her_), pale green eyes hidden behind star shaped sunglasses.

"Good moooorning Frostbite!" She crowed and Frostbite glowered,

"You're too energetic this morning." Was all she said and continued to class. Akira let out a long whine and draped herself on Frostbite's shoulders. The shorter girl simply kept walking, albeit slower than before.

"Frostbiiiiite! Why are you so grumpy today?"

"... couldn't sleep last night. Nightmares."

Not a complete lie, Frostbite had woken herself up in near tears during the night with images of the woman Takashi had shown her. Images of her casting a young version of Frostbite into the gutter, into the streets, at one point in front of a moving car. She didn't dare wake Izuku or Ochako, not when they had early Hero work the next day, so she curled under her blankets, clutching Toto's collar to her chest and muffling soft cries by biting into her pillow.

Thankfully, Akira didn't push or pry, she knew better than to ask about sensitive topics like Frostbite's nightmares. She got off her friend's back and together they walked towards their class.

The Department Of General Studies Class 1-C was already alive with noise. Frostbite ducked under a classmate and slid into her seat. Luckily for them, their teacher allowed them to choose their seats as long as they were quiet when he was talking. So of course Akira took the seat behind Frostbite. Frostbite sat down and immediately took out her needed notes to get some last minute studying in.

"Alright, everyone sit down please." Came the familiar and monotone voice of their teacher and pro hero; Mindjack aka Hitoshi Shinsou. He didn't glance up from his clipboard as he approached his podium and cleared his throat.

"If you'll all turn to page one hundred ninety-four, we'll begin with today's lesson…"

…

"Midoriya, can you'll hang back a few minutes please?" Frostbite froze in packing her backpack as the bell rang. Her brain hurt from trying to pay attention to the lessons and also puzzling about the woman she had seen yesterday. She slowly zipped up her backpack as her fellow classmates left the room to go home.

Approaching her teacher cautiously, she took a seat across from him at his desk.

"How have your studies been?" He asked, tone light and conversational. She shrugged,

"Alright I guess, it is the end of the year so exams are coming up." Shinsou nodded and steepled his fingers,

"Right, and since you'll beginning your third year next year, I'd like to talk to you about a couple of things." He glanced at his clipboard which held her grades and her score in the entrance exam.

"The faculty and staff of UA have been talking and we were looking for a potential candidate to move from the General Studies Department to the Hero Course since someone dropped out. And we'd like to extend that offer to you." Frostbite blinked, shocked and mystified. Her? Why her of all people?

Sensing her hesitation, Shinsou continued,

"You scored quite high on the entrance exam, though you were one point below the needed score to enter the Hero course so you were placed in General Studies. You never participated full heartedly in the UA Sports Festival either. But the staff and I think you'd be a great fit-"

"Sorry for interrupting you sir, and thank you for the offer. But I'd like to stay where I am. I don't want to move to the Hero course." She said quietly, eyes focused on her hands.

"Pardon?"

"I don't want to move to the Hero course. I'm happy where I am in General Studies. I'm sure there are lots of other students who would be much more capable as a Hero than I am who would be delighted to move classes. If that's all, I'd like to leave please." She reaffirmed yet kept her eyes down. Her teacher was quiet, taking in her words.

"If that's what you really want Miss Midoriya. You are dismissed." Was all he said and she nodded quickly, retrieving her bag and heading for the door. Yet as she reached the threshold, she paused.

"Please don't tell my father sir, I don't think he'd be very happy to hear I turned down the Hero course." She requested and heard the shuffling of papers before he spoke again.

"No worries Miss Midoriya, have a nice evening."

…

Frostbite chewed on her thumbnail as she walked down the streets away from the school. She had some time to kill before she had to be home, before Izuku and Ochako got home. Turning on her heel, she allowed her feet to lead her, her mind wandering. People passed, their faces a blur as she crossed streets and walked down the busy streets.

"Excuse me?" An unfamiliar voice, spiked with a Russian accent. Frostbite looks up through the falling snow to the speaker.

A woman, early thirties with blue eyes and curly blonde hair, wrapped in a fur lined leather coat and holding out a glossy blue card.

"This was to be delivered to you, it's from Ms. Rose." She said and walked away, Frostbite blinked in shock.

"Hey wait a minute!" But the woman was gone, leaving her ankle deep in snow and not a clue who the woman was. Glancing down, she could smell the overwhelming perfume as she read the smooth kanji "_Miss Isabella Rose_" for point two seconds before throwing the card over her shoulder and kept on her way.

All before scrambling back and picking up the card, flipping it over with shaking fingers to see the face of the woman from yesterday. In fine print, where no one looks, was an address. An address that would lead to the woman. But she paused, did she want to see this woman? The woman who could potentially be the absent birth mother she never had?

"Ah to hell with it." She muttered and turned to find the address before pausing,

"Pardon my language."

The apartment complex was a mess of cracking brick and scorch marks from past villain attacks. Frostbite looks to the card and then to the setting sun, Izuku and Ochako would be home in about an hour. An hour. That should be plenty enough time right? She steeled her nerves and ascended the stairs.

Apartment 36A was immaculate and clean, the doorknob a bruised bronze from many hands twisting and opening the door. Frostbite scuffed her shoes on the doormat before raising a hesitant fist and knocking on the door. One minute, then two, then the door opened and Frostbite came face to face with the woman who looked just like her.

They stared at each other, neither speaking, neither making a move. The woman was pretty, makeup concealing the lines around her eyes and lips.

"Umm… Ms. Rose?" Frostbite said hesitantly and the woman's eyes watered as she opened the door wider and allowed her inside.

The interior was bare, a single kotatsu table with two pillows in the living area was all she could see but she could smell the perfume coming from the bedroom and wrinkled her nose.

"I did not think you would come." The woman said and Frostbite hid a grimace, keeping her shoes on and sitting at the kotatsu table.

"Yeah, well, that Russian lady was pretty strange. I didn't want her doing something weird if I didn't follow the directions." She said as she held her backpack in her lap as the woman took a seat across from her.

"She means no harm, I just had to have her deliver the card to you. It isn't wise for me to venture out so often."

"And why is that?" Frostbite asked and politely declined an offer of tea in cracked tea cups.

"They watch me closely. It's a wonder they haven't reacted given you came here." The woman explained vaguely, only serving to confuse Frostbite more.

"Woah woah wait, I came here to find out why you look so much like me. And now you're spouting nonsense?" The woman almost looked offended.

"Isn't it obvious dearest? I'm your mother." Frostbite have a half grimace, not one hundred percent convinced.

"And why are you trying to get in contact with me now Ms. Rose? You never cared to before." The woman looked sad, her dark eyes down cast.

"... my real name is Sofia Fernández… and I wanted to get in touch with you much earlier, please believe me. But I had to keep my distance… for your safety and mine… O'Malley should have told you this… where is he now?" Frostbite froze at the name, her lips curling back into a snarl,

"He's dead. And he didn't tell me anything, he's a selfish, lying, torturous jerk who made my life a living hell. Now, let's pretend for one second that I believe that you're my mother. Who is watching you that freaks you out so much?" She snapped and the woman frowned.

"They're everywhere, in hospitals and the justice system. They know everything about everyone and they paired me with your father to create you… then they killed him off when his purpose was completed and made it look like an accident. It's only a matter of time before I'm next."

"Who?" Was all Frostbite asked, her voice cracking as she bit down on her temper and her rising confusion.

"They're called-"

A loud bang sounded and suddenly, a bullet hole appeared in the side of the woman's head. Bits of bone and flesh splattered on Frostbite's face with blood dripping down her cheeks. She let out a scream and scrambled backwards as more bullets flew through the window, puncturing and shredding the woman's body and sending her to the floor. Frostbite scooped her backpack onto her shoulders and ran, ran towards the door to escape.

The door knob cracked as someone large slammed their body against it. Frostbite skidded to a stop, gaining slivers in her hands as she turned and ran away, towards the only free window in the room that wasn't riddled with bullet holes. Just as she reached the window, a bullet buried itself next to her head and the door was broken down.

Glass shattered and rained down as she smashed through it and fell towards the concrete.

She maneuvered herself midair and landed, throwing herself in a roll onto her feet before she was pounding through the snow. There were more bullets sparking at her feet and she crashed into a wall skidding around a corner. She quickly ducked into a nearby crowd, pulling her beanie from her backpack and shoving it over her head, wrapping her scarf around her neck as she went. It wasn't much, but it'd help lose whoever was trying to shoot at her.

It was dark when she reached home, bruised from her fall, bloodied from the glass and the blood from the woman, and had several cuts and nicks. She had lost the attackers several blocks back, catching a bus to her street and avoiding any conversation whatsoever. The door creaked as she slipped inside, it was well past the time Ochako and Izuku would be in bed. Just then, the lamp in the living area turned on as she slipped her shoes off.

"Where have you been young lady- Frostbite what happened?!" Izuku's attempt to sound stern were cut off as he saw her bloodied appearance.

The events of the day started to set in and Frostbite barely managed to drop her backpack and make it to the bathroom before she threw up her lunch into the toilet. Her body shook, hands clammy and trembling as sweat ran down her back. Her nose burned with the scent of blood and her eyes stung with unshed tears.

Izuku's hand came to rest on her back, soothing up and down motions bringing her back to the present. Her throat burned and she heaved one last time, choking on a sob before she flushed the toilet and stood. Her father didn't say anything as she rinsed her mouth and washed the blood off her face. Her hands were trembling so much she clenched them into tight fists just to get it to stop.

It was quiet then, the only sounds being Frostbite's labored breathing. Ochako came down the hall but Izuku waved her off, instead bringing Frostbite to her bedroom to sit on her bed. He stepped out while she changed into pajamas, telling her to call if she needed anything. The light of her bedside lamp cast shadows, shadows that terrified her when she was younger. Pulling the hand-me-down UA sweater from Izuku's high school years over her head, she quietly opened her bedroom door. Izuku was waiting on the other side, his face full of concern.

Her lower lip trembled and she stepped forward into one of his tight bear hugs. Still shorter than average, her head didn't even come up to chest height on him, but that helped her feel safe as she started to cry. Thick tears coated her cheeks as she clung to her father's night shirt as her body shook with the shock of it all and her quiet sobs. He tucked her close, arms around her shoulders like he was protecting her from the world. Ochako came up behind her, still quiet as she wrapped her arms around Frostbite and Izuku, effectively wrapping Frostbite in a cocoon of warmth. Ochako rocked them back and forth carefully, almost as if she was scared to break her.

"Oh Frostbite… just what happened?" Izuku whispered into her hairline and she hiccuped, just what was she supposed to tell him?

…

**Comments and favorites are greatly appreciated!**

**Until the next update!**

**FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Comment Review Time! (**_**Yes it's back, I loved doing it in the first book :) **_**)**

**fencer29 from FanFiction: I freaking love your comments what are you talking about!**

**As for Toto, I remembered half way through the first chapter that Toto most likely wouldn't have lived for much longer. German Shepherd's have lots of health issues as it is, and they typically live to around 12 years old max, so he was already getting up there in age by the time she started high school!**

**And yes it is hard for Frostbite and relationships! Given her 'status' as Izuku's daughter, and her own hesitations around people, she really only has Takashi and Akira as friends!**

**And I'm not going to say anything about your last comment because spoilers ;) :P**

**Lila from Quotev: Thanks hun! I'm so glad you like it so far!**

**Midnight Angels Say Goodnight from FanFiction: I was hoping to surprise my readers with the abrupt tone change! This story is definitely going to be a far cry from fluffy and happiness! Lots of action and emotional things happen this book!**

**cutedoglover337 from FanFiction: please be patient with my updates! I do have a full time job and am in the process of trying to find an apartment that's cheap, affordable for me and my friend, but also close to my friends work and my work and will let me have my two dogs so updates might be a little weird!**

*_**bit of a PSA, but I was rereading Frostbite and saw that I described Frostbite as having unhealthily pale skin.**_

_**That was my initial description of her, but then I flushed out the story and forgot to go back and change it to the fact that she has darker skin due to her mother being hispanic.***_

…

Frostbite's nails dug into her palms as she sat on the couch with her parents sitting across from her. She slowly started to explain what had happened, starting from the beginning and carefully excluding the part where Mr. Shinsou has talked to her about the Hero course. Her voice trembled as she pulled out the newspaper and card from her backpack and handed them over for them both to inspect.

She kept her eyes on the floor, fighting to keep another round of tears at bay. They weren't saying anything, just reading the card and looking at the circled photo of Sofia.

"... we'll talk more about this tomorrow after training and school, it's late… you should head to bed." Izuku said gently and set the items aside, she looked up at him,

"You're- you're not mad?"

"Mad? No, worried because you were in an extremely dangerous situation? Yes." He said and stood, softly pulling her into a hug as she stood.

She felt as if she was floating as she walked to her bedroom, a little confused as to why her parents weren't upset, weren't angry. Were they planning something?

Frostbite barely slept at all that night, listening to her parents talking softly in muffled tones in their bedroom before they eventually went to bed. She got up several times, pacing the length of her room, peeking behind her curtain and triple checking that her window was locked. Hell, even at one point she checked in her closet and wedged her desk chair under the handles. She even checked under her bed to make sure nothing was hiding there.

….

The next morning was silent as she trudged around the house getting ready. Izuku and Ochako left a note, saying there was a mandatory meeting and they had to leave early but that they'd be home later that night. Breakfast was being kept warm in the microwave but she couldn't be bothered to eat any of it. She was lucky that basically no one was out on the streets as she walked to school. She didn't want to be bothered with anyone asking questions about the Number One Hero or paparazzi. She just wanted to get to school, train, and go home.

Even Akira noticed something was off, thankfully not saying anything. Not that she could even say much; Mr. Shinsou launched into the school day as soon as he entered the room without hesitation. It gave a welcome distraction from her racing mind, focusing on the practice exam placed in front of her. Her chin was propped on her hand as she wrote down an answer, listening to the flipping of pages and scratching of pencils.

One student stood and turned in his exam before returning to his seat, dropping a book on his desk. The noise rang through Frostbite's head, bringing images of gun muzzles flashing and the woman falling dead made her flinch and drop her pencil. It rolled off the desk and she whispered a curse under her breath as she bent down to pick it up with shaking fingers. Sitting up straight, she saw Mr. Shinsou looking mildly concerned in her direction. She scribbled down the rest of her answers and turned her exam in before asking to be excused to the bathroom.

Her hands were shaking as she splashed ice cold water in her face, rubbing her eyes as if trying to massage the images out of her mind. Her ears rang with the nonexistent gunshots, making her skull pound and throb with pressure. Her breath was raspy and gasping, her chest heaving slightly as she gripped the sides of the sink. Her dark skin looked ashy, her eyes red rimmed and bloodshot from lack of sleep. Her hair had been tousled with fly aways sticking up every which way. In short, she looked like a mess.

After nearly stabbing herself in the eye while sliding her glasses back on, she dried her hands and went back to class. Everyone was finished at that point, now either reading or working on other homework as she sat back in her seat. Akira gave her a worried glance as she sat down heavily, tuning out Mr. Shinsou as he stood up and began to speak.

Luckily he seemed to understand something was up and didn't call on her for any of the questions. He stood at the door, saying goodbye individually to each student at the end of the day as they filed out of the classroom. He gave her a reassuring smile,

"Let me know if you need anything Miss Midoriya." He said but she simply nodded and kept walking. Grabbing her gym bag and the rest of her school work from her locker, she changed out of her school uniform and into a T-shirt and sweatpants in the bathroom for training that afternoon.

…

The Ground Zero hero agency was a simple ten minute bus ride away, Frostbite fished a laminated card with her name and picture on it out of her gym bag and flashed it to the receptionist who allowed her past. The woman told her that "_Ground Zero should be in the gym in about twenty minutes if she wanted to head back anyway_".

Perfect.

The perfect amount of time to cool off and de-stress before she was put through the rigorous training regiment Katsuki had planned. She started with stretching and a light jog, the entire gym empty seeing as Katsuki made it very clear he wasn't to be disturbed on Wednesdays for approximately two hours after she arrived unless it was an emergency.

Twenty minutes later, the door to the gym slid open and she stopped mid jog. Katsuki was in the doorway, looking exhausted and already covered in sweat. But he gave her a grin as he tossed his bag of hero gear next to her gym bag.

"Ready to start?" A nod and they were off, Katsuki teaching her how to defend herself and how to get out of chokeholds and the like.

In the middle of him showing her how to throw someone, he broke their silence.

"So what's wrong?" He asked and through her tired pants, she couldn't figure out what he meant. He took her silence as confusion and explained,

"You're full of piss and vinegar. More so than usual. So what happened to tick you off?" He explained as she grunted in an effort to wiggle herself out of the firm chokehold he had her in.

"Nothing, just stressed from school." She said and he snorted,

"Bullshit."

With effort, she managed to twist and turn and throw Katsuki over her shoulder. He landed with a surprisingly soft 'thud' and got up, brushing off nonexistent dust from his trousers and looking at her with an expression that screamed 'really'.

"Good throw, you need to put a bit more umph into it though. Too light. Now tell me what's wrong." She paused but shook her head.

"Nothing. Like I said before, just school." She snapped and he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Does this have anything to do with Shinsou asking about the Hero course?" The noise of a record screeching in her mind brought her to an abrupt halt.

"... How do you know about that?" Katsuki barked out laughter,

"Went to UA the other day to help with the Hero course. Shinsou stopped me in the hall and asked if I thought you'd be a good candidate to replace the drop out. I said yes and he said he'd talk to you about it later. Did he?" She gave a mute nod.

"What did you say?"

"I told him no."

"What? Why!?" Now he was curious but she didn't want to talk about it.

"Because I just didn't, nothing else."

"Now I know you're bullshitting me."

Anger flared up and she turned to go grab her things.

"I'm done for today. See you next week Katsuki." She said curtly and he raised an eyebrow,

"If you say so, but can I just say something?" She paused as she packed up her gym bag. Looking back, she saw him scratching at the back of his head,

"I know… how do I say this? I'm not Toto, even Icy Hot would probably be better… shit I'm not good at this… but I'm here if you want to talk about anything alright?" her eyes burned at the name and she gave a mute nod.

Her hands trembled as she picked up her bag and prepared to leave. Her lower lip wobbled as she thought over what he had said. Eventually she came to a conclusion,

"I…. I said no because I don't deserve it…" she whispered and turned back to Katsuki with her head bowed, she didn't want to see him if he laughed at her, looked at her like she was being childish.

"Why do you say that?" An honest question, but one that made her flinch.

Rubbing her nose, she finally looked up at Katsuki. He looked mildly uncomfortable, he was never good at this whole emotions thing, but he also looked determined to help. That alone almost made her laugh. But any laughter died in her throat as she remembered a gun flashing, the overwhelming weight of a corpse suffocating her body. She remembered vividly looking into O'Malley's blank eyes after she had shot him.

"I just… I don't deserve it… I don't deserve to be a hero… heroes don't kill people…" she whispered and swallowed heavily. The blond hero had an unreadable look on his face as he took in her words.

"You know that it wasn't your fault right? He was trying to kill you, had on several occasions. You acted in self defense. That's even what the courts and police investigation rules."

"So? Doesn't excuse the fact that I killed someone. Self defense or not…" she sniffed a little as he took in her response.

"Have you talked to Deku about this at all? Or Round Face?" He asked after a moment of silence, her head jerked,

"No! Of course not! He's the number one hero! And Ochako's a really good pro! They would be disappointed and mad and-"

"I'm stopping you right there." He got closer and set both hands on her shoulders,

"They're not going to be disappointed. They understand you've had a lot of shit happen, you're messed up from everything O'Malley did. I'd be surprised if you weren't. They'll understand, you just need to talk to them."

Frostbite replayed his words as she walked home.

Would Izuku be disappointed?

Would he be understanding?

She wanted to say the later, but a little voice in the back of her head said the opposite.

…

Her house was still and silent as Katsuki's motorcycle rumbled to a stop in the driveway. The bike was a custom made pitch black Harley Davidson with vibrant yellow flames decorating the sides. It had been gifted to him by his parents when he broke the top ten rankings of heroes. He had no real use for it, given that he used his quirk to blast from place to place. But now it was something he used when he took Frostbite home from training, or on her birthday he'd take her for a ride to celebrate.

Frostbite carefully slid off the bike and worked the helmet off her head, handing it to Katsuki as he ruffled her already messy hair somewhat playfully. She swatted at his hand and hefted her backpack onto her shoulders with one hand, toting her gym bag in the other.

"See you next week kiddo." He said, adjusting his own helmet before revenge the engine and taking off.

Frostbite could hear the sounds of talking quietly as she entered the house, slipping out of her shoes and into indoor slippers. She dropped her things in her bedroom before wandering to the kitchen where she knew Ochako would be making dinner.

Izuku was leaning on the counter, hero paperwork in hand; Ochako stirring some kind of soup at the oven. It smelled delicious.

"I'm home…" she said quietly and both of her parents jumped.

"Oh Frostbite! I didn't hear you come in, how was school?" Ochako had a faint smile on her face as she turned to face the girl, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

"Mm.. it was alright… more practice exams…" she mumbled and Izuku raised an eyebrow,

"More practice exams? I think Mindjack is trying to turn your brain into mush." He joked and she shrugged,

"I guess, it is near the end of the school year…" she commented.

Dinner was silent, Frostbite taking dinner to her room to work on homework while she ate. Her lamp illuminated the rest of her room as she had the lights off and the curtains drawn. She tried to distract herself from the events of yesterday and her talk with Katsuki that afternoon by throwing herself into her math and chemistry homework. Equations and components slowly overtook the tension and she almost found herself withdrawing into a mindless haze.

"Knock knock." Flinching, she glanced up from her work to see Ochako leaning on her door frame. Her mother held a small side smile as she took in her daughter's no doubt, exhausted state.

"Can I come in?" She asked and Frostbite slowly nodded, gesturing to her bed behind her. Swiveling her chair around, she pulled her knees to her chest and leaned her chin on them.

"Bakugo messaged us after dropping you off. He said you were stressed about stuff?" Internally Frostbite panicked but she kept a stoic expression, had Katsuki told them exactly why she was upset? Ochako looked down for a moment,

"Is everything alright? I know school is stressful and all but you know Izuku and I are here to talk if you need anything right?" She reaches forward and clasped Frostbite's hand in her own.

"Is something wrong?" Ochako asked quietly.

"_They'll understand, you just need to talk to them._" Katsuki's voice sounded in her head and she chewed on her lip, should she tell them about everything? The Hero course?

Her mouth opened,

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

…

**Comments and favorites are greatly appreciated!**

**Until the next update!**

**FairyTailWzard over and out!~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ummmm… Hi? **

**I'm not sure if anyone still reads this story, if you do then thank you for sticking with it for so long… **

**To put it bluntly, life is kinda hell right now for me. I won't go into too much detail, but I've moved, am getting ready for college, dealing with recently divorced parents, a family member who has a terminal diagnosis, and among other things: now this pandemic. I'm not promising that updates will be regular now because I really doubt they will be. But I've gone back and watched the film series that inspired the end of this book and it helped give me inspiration to sit down and write :) and that film series is Taken with Liam Neeson if that gives you any idea on what the ending will be about :) **

**Another fun fact: I have a cast of OC's and what actors I think would portray them for this book if anyone is interested, including Frostbite and her friends Akira and Takashi.**

**Without any further ado, here's chapter 3 of Epidemic 3**

…

The next morning was strange. Frostbite's eyes fluttered open, her brain sluggish as she struggled to wake up. Slowly, she sat up and stretched her arms above her head, sniffing to clear her sinuses as she groped blindly for her glasses.

She pulled her quilt back, feeling sluggish and groggy, mind muddled as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and dug her toes into the plush carpet at her feet. She hated wood floors, she always felt as if she slipped on them whenever she needed to run most.

Changing quickly from her rumpled uniform; she had fallen asleep without changing into pajamas, into a clean one; she combed her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame the unruly strands. Rubbing one eye and knocking her glasses askew, she hefted her backpack onto her shoulders and scuffed her feet on the carpet and out into the kitchen.

Surprisingly, Ochako was at the stove, flipping a pancake in the pan and humming to herself. Izuku was nowhere to be found, the rinsed out coffee mug in the sink showing he had most likely left early for patrol. She paused in the kitchen doorway, just watching and waiting for her mother to notice her.

She eventually did, after Frostbite set her backpack down on the dining table. Her mother looked up with a gentle smile and came over with the finished pancakes. The smell caught her attention, chocolate chip pancakes, her favorite. Glancing up, she caught Ochako pressing a kiss to her forehead before she sat down with her own plate of pancakes.

"How did you sleep last night Frostbite?" She asked softly, gently, as if she were talking to a scared animal. In a way she was, Frostbite was jumpy, skittish, paranoid at every shadow as if people would jump out with guns.

"Fine… I forgot to take my meds last night so I had more nightmares though…" Cutting into her food, she shoved a bite of pancake into her mouth, avoiding her mother's, no doubt worried gaze.

"Are you alright?" Ochako asked and Frostbite nodded, distracting herself with more food and leaving the conversation at that.

…

Everyone at school seemed more upbeat and excited than usual. Everyone seemed to be babbling about "fancy limos and trucks out front". Not that Frostbite knew anything about it, she had been half asleep on the walk to school and so she missed whatever everyone else was excited about.

"FROSTBITE!" Apparently Akira hadn't missed it. That much was obvious in the way she nearly knocked Frostbite over at her locker, actually picking her up and spinning her around as she rambled about fancy cars and people in business suits and bodyguards. It was all the smaller girl could do to not throw up as the world spun around her. When she was finally set down, she had to grab ahold of Akira's shoulder in order to not fall over, breathing heavily as she shoved her glasses back onto her face with her free hand.

"You do that again and I promise that I'm gonna slug you." She shot a glare to her friend who simply grinned and grabbed her hand, dragging her to class as soon as they had all their needed work.

"Yeah right, you're too- OW!" Lips pulled into a pout, Akira rubbed her sore arm and Frostbite stuck her tongue out,

"I keep my promises stupid." She couldn't help but smile a little at her friend's dramatic whining. As eccentric as she was, Akira was her best friend and she wouldn't trade her for the world.

Mr. Shinsou watched her carefully as Frostbite and Akira entered the class, they were slightly early but he didn't seem to mind. Frostbite even swore she saw the smallest of smiles as he watched her and Akira bicker back and forth about whether or not Akira herself was overdramatic. Frostbite offered her teacher a small smile as she took her seat, she was grateful he hadn't talked to Izuku or Ochako about her transferring to the Hero Course. And despite his aloof exterior, he really was a good teacher.

Students filed in and as class started, Frostbite noticed Shinsou didn't have his usual clipboard or papers that indicated what course work was to be done by the end of the day. He hadn't even written anything on the chalkboard yet. However, he still stood at his podium and silenced the class with a single clap of his hands.

"Today's going to be a bit different. Practice exams have been postponed because we have a special guest speaker coming to talk to the school today." At this, the classroom erupted into whispers. Guest speaker? And during preparations for final exams too?

Frostbite was more than confused as she followed her classmates to the auditorium where everyone else in the school was being seated. Present Mic; the Pro Hero whom Izuku knew back when he was a high school student, jubilantly welcomed everyone, his over the top shouting making Frostbite cover her ears as she tried to preserve her eardrums. Akira seemed ecstatic at seeing the blonde hero. Frostbite knew it was because she harbored a sort of crush on the man, claiming she aspired to be as energetic and happy as he was if she ever managed to become a hero.

She was snapped from her musings as a woman dressed in a smart looking pant suit took the stage, flanked by two large bodyguards, one with bullhorns and the other looking as if he were part lizard. The woman herself was older, perhaps in her sixties, with short white hair and blue eyes hidden behind glasses. Her mouth was pulled into a frown as she studied the students before her and took her place at the offered podium.

"Thank you for having me here." She began curtly, offering a polite nod to the attending school staff. Then she raised a hand and clicked some kind of remote, turning on a projector and adjusting the microphone in front of her.

"My name is Doctor Jean Lyst, I work with the International Organization of Sickness Eradication and you all probably wonder why I'm here correct?" She didn't wait for any type of answer before continuing, clicking the button that changed the projector to a slide with what Frostbite assumed was their symbol. It was a globe with a pair of arms circled around it, the person behind it seeming to hug the world to their chest.

"We were founded when Quirks were first appearing in the general population, though our research didn't start to pick up until our new head scientist; Doctor Robert Hyde, started working for us. He has made more advancements in science and medicine in the last ten years than anyone else has in the last century. We are well on our way to curing the impossible. In short, we work towards curing curable and incurable diseases. Illnesses that were thought to be considered incurable and even terminal are being studied and cures are in progress. We are working on cures for things like cancer, Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's Disease, even things like heart disease. Massive strides are made every day." Another click, another slide, this time showing a group of scientists hunched over tables, wearing masks and goggles to protect them from whatever they were working at. Doctor Lyst continued to click through her slides, explaining their organizations success rates and how they operated, even deploying to war-ridden countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. Frostbite was in shock at all the information, how had she not heard of this organization before? But more importantly, why were they coming to talk to the students of UA?

"Now you may be wondering why I'm here talking to you all." After clicking through the last slide, Doctor Lyst abruptly turned off the projector and set the remote down, grabbing the sides of the podium and leaning forward to get closer to the mic.

"We are here to select one student from the student body to have the opportunity to come help us at our top of the line facility in Osaka, Japan. Said student would help in developing these new test cures. Think of it as a scholarship program. The student would be staying at our facility for an extended period of time if their parents or guardians allowed it. Why did we come to UA? Because it is one of the most prestigious schools in this country and we only want the best working with us." She leaned back now, gesturing to the student body with one hand and clicking her remote in the other. A website link was shown on screen, jarring Frostbite with the sudden change.

"Any students who wish to take this opportunity for this chance, please pull out your cellular devices and go to this website. It will ask you for your name, school, and the year you're in. Submit the information and we will have a random name selected as soon as everyone is finished. We'll give you ten minutes to do that now."

Akira leaned over to Frostbite, already pulling out her phone as the auditorium erupted into chatter and whispers.

"Are you going to enter?"

"I don't know… I don't see how I would be especially useful to them… I mean… I'm just average in terms of academics." She mumbled, pulling out her cell phone anyway and swiping past her background of her, Ochako, Izuku, and Toto all gathered together for a family photo. With a few taps of her fingers, she had pulled up the website and accepted the terms and conditions of using the website. That left her staring at the logo for a few moments, should she enter? She knew without a doubt that Takashi would, and she knew he likely wouldn't get this chance. If he couldn't get this chance, she could at least do it for him.

That finalized her decision and she found herself typing in the information needed and submitting it. Her phone dinged as it finalized the submission and then all she had to do was wait.

After the ten allotted minutes had passed, and a variety of phones dinging later, Doctor Lyst nodded as if agreeing with something. All the names of the entered students appeared on screen, though there were so many that Frostbite couldn't read the small text from so far away, even with her glasses.

"Right, now we can begin the randomization process." She said and with the click of a button, the screen was a blur. It almost looked like a lottery slot machine as it filtered through all the names.

After what felt like forever, it finally stopped at a name and Frostbite stared at the screen in complete and utter shock.

Because on the screen, in large bold letters, was her name.

"_MIDORIYA, FROSTBITE, SECOND YEAR, UA HIGH SCHOOL_"

…

Frostbite was still in shock as she was given several packets and papers she had to fill out by the end of the school week (_so basically tomorrow_) in order to attend this supposed facility. Doctor Lyst had given her a firm handshake, her hands cold against Frostbite's warm and clammy ones.

"Congratulations Ms. Midoriya. We hope you take this opportunity, we look forward to working with you." She had said with a tight lipped smile and sent the shocked girl on her way.

The walk home was more eventful than she was used to. Several students had shouted congratulations or profanity at her from busses or bicycles as she had walked slowly on the sidewalk. Akira had given her a tight hug and a quick 'congratulations' before she had scampered off to her own home.

Even as Frostbite's home came into view, she still didn't quite know what she was going to say to her parents when she saw them. Would they be excited? Would they be upset? Would they even allow her to go? It was all the way in Osaka after all… That was at least a six hour car ride…

Any and all thoughts stopped as she arrived on her front doorstep, fishing out her door key almost as if she were in a dream.

The house was empty as she called out a greeting out of habit. Slipping off her shoes, she slid on a pair of indoor slippers and grabbed a banana and some chocolate before heading to her bedroom to get started on homework.

However, she didn't get started right away, she instead dumped the various folders and documents from Doctor Lyst on her desk and stared at them for a solid minute before she started rifling through them. Her eyes scanned the papers, sorting them into piles that Izuku or Ochako would have to sign and piles she could look through without signing anything. The former was larger than the later.

With a sigh, she peeled her banana and almost angrily shoved some of it in her mouth, chewing distractedly as she scrolled through her phone for any unread texts (_there were none_) before resigning herself to looking through all of the papers and documents that had to be signed before the next day if she wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.

She hadn't realized how much time had passed until she heard the sounds of car doors shutting, keys jingling; Izuku and Ochako were home. Odd. They never arrived home at the same time… Frostbite shrugged and stacked the papers neatly and got up to go greet her parents.

"This day is full of oddities." She mumbled, stretching with a yawn as she popped her back and left her bedroom.

"Frostbite!" She smiled at her tired but happy father and accepted his warm hug.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked and Frostbite paused for a minute, how _**was**_ she feeling today? She hadn't thought about it with everything that had happened in the last few hours.

"I'm alright, how was work?" The normalcy was… nice… It took her mind off of the impending conversation she was going to have to have with the both of them later that night.

"It went really well, crime is down another point seven percent. Can you believe that?! Now why don't you go give your mom a hug and then get washed up for dinner? We need to eat some of our leftovers before they go bad."

That brought her to where she was now, fidgeting in her seat as she pushed her food around her plate and ate a few bites, her foot tapping under the table as she tried to get the courage to talk to her parents about what transpired at school today. However, she was caught off guard when Izuku and Ochako shared a look and nodded before Izuku got up and returned with a manila folder in hand.

She blinked several times, confused,

"C-can I ask what the folder is? And why are you two acting so weird?" She asked quietly, any thoughts of school pushed from her mind.

Izuku looked to Ochako who nodded again, he sighed and handed it to Frostbite from across the table and sat back down in his chair. Hesitant, she glanced at them one more time before she flipped it open and exposed the contents.

The woman from two days ago stared back at her with her name written in neat kanji "_Fernandez, Sofia_". She very nearly dropped the folder, her hands starting to shake as a cold feeling ran down her spine.

"Wh- what is this? How did you get this information?" She asked, voice trembling. Izuku crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair slightly

"I had Detective Tsukauchi look into what happened, he pulled all the available information he could on that woman to see if we could find out who killed her and why they were trying to hurt you." He explained as she flipped through the few pages there were in the file. It had very minimal information; where the woman was born, her age, criminal record (_which was surprisingly very little, only a small theft from a convenience store)_. Nothing that would help her at all.

"She was a researcher for terminal illnesses?" Frostbite frowned at the woman's education. She had four PhDs and two Masters degrees. So she was extremely smart. But there wasn't any information on family, significant others, or even what laboratories she would have worked at. Nothing.

"Apparently so, but we couldn't find any information when we contacted the colleges she went to. It's almost like she didn't exist in their system. We couldn't find anything else on her, not even fingerprints as her fingers had been burned to remove the prints. We only found her in the police system because she stole some cash and a few basic hygiene items and was caught. There is nothing else on this Ms. Fernandez."

Slowly, Frostbite flipped the final page and saw a picture of the woman, covered in a white sheet, obviously at a morgue. The bullet hole in the side of her head had been cleaned and she had been cleaned of any blood and debris. She was rather pretty, and Frostbite could see a slight resemblance between herself and the woman in their facial structure.

"But why are you giving this to me now?" Her voice was little more than a whisper, Izuku and Ochako shared a look before Ochako got up and knelt by her chair, taking Frostbite's hands in her own and gently taking the folder away.

"Originally we just wanted to see if we could find out anything about the people who were chasing you after she was killed. Then I figured you at least deserved to know the information we managed to dig up. She's technically your mother-"

"No she's not." Frostbite cut her off hastily,

"She's not my mom. She birthed me but you raised me. You two are my parents. Not her and not anyone else." She scrubbed at her eyes under her glasses to stop any tears that may have fallen and threw her arms around Ochako's neck in a hug.

It was quiet for a few moments before Frostbite withdrew, sniffling and glancing at Izuku, who gave her a soft smile.

"Something happened at school today." She said before she could stop herself and almost smiled when her parents looked alarmed,

"You aren't being picked on are you?" Ochako immediately asked and now Frostbite huffed out a dry laugh,

"No I'm not. But we had a guest speaker from some organization come talk to the whole student body." At this she got up and started walking towards her bedroom. After a few seconds she returned with her stack of papers from Doctor Lyst and handed a flyer to Izuku and Ochako.

They studied it for a moment before looking back to her, signalling her chance to continue speaking.

"They research terminal and incurable illnesses and diseases. They wanted someone from UA to come work with them at their facility and stay there for a while and work with them in developing new test cures. They chose someone randomly to have the opportunity." She handed her father a paper,

"I was chosen to go…"

It was silent as they moved to the living room and Frostbite set her papers and folders down on the coffee table as Izuku and Ochako went over the papers. After several minutes of tense silence, Izuku looked at her,

"Be honest Frostbite. Do you want to go?" His eyes were serious, and Frostbite could understand why. If she went, she'd be away from them and any real family she had here for the first time since everything happened with O'Malley.

"Well… yeah… I thought that Takashi would want this chance but he doesn't so I-"

"Frostbite. Don't do this for others because they would want to. Not for Takashi, not for Akira, not anyone else. Do _**you**_ want to do this because you genuinely _**want to**_?" At this Frostbite stopped, she hadn't thought about it like that. Was she doing it because Akira and Takashi would have wanted to go?

But the more her mind raced, the more she started to come to a crossroad. She already said no to the Hero Course and she had no plans for when she graduated next year… But she still wanted to help people…

So with a deep breath, she came to a final decision.

"Yeah. I want to go."


	4. Chapter 4

**Comment Review Time!:**

**fencer29 from FanFiction: I always feel bad and like I have to apologize if I have to leave a story for a while :p and this organization is purely of my own design and I wanted it to be placed in Japan but not too close to Tokyo so I decided on Osaka :) **

**And lemme just say that suspicion is good for this story ;)**

…

The next day was a blur. Izuku and Ochako had agreed to sign the necessary papers and she turned them in at the beginning of the school day. She had then been given a letter stating she was to report to the Tokyo International Airport on Monday at approximately 6:30 in the morning; giving her the weekend to 'finalize goodbyes' with her family and friends. The letter made it sound a little too much like a permanent goodbye rather than something that would last only through the rest of her current school year and into summer break. It had also instructed her not to bring any of her own clothes or belongings as there would be clothing and such supplied to her when she arrived.

The weekend was spent of course with Izuku and Ochako, but also in the company of Toshinori, Inko, Todoroki and Momo, Bakugo and his team, as well as Akira and Takashi. Saturday was spent with Inko and Toshinori and her parents. Sunday was spent with everyone else. Bakugo's team (_mainly Mina and Kaminari_) had all but kidnapped her for several hours so they could 'send her off with a bang'. Those few hours were spent watching her favorite movie (_which was Footloose_) and Bakugo even took her out for ice cream on his motorcycle.

Akira and Takashi had snagged her for a few hours so they could ride bikes around the local park and talk.

"Promise to keep in touch when you leave?" Takashi asked when they had abandoned riding bikes and were laying in a circle on the grass. Akira's feet were propped in Frostbite's lap and her head in Takashi's as she braided some flower stems together to make a crown,

"'Course I will, I'll have my phone and email to talk to you guys." She replied, sitting up from their pile and crossing her legs, adjusting Akira's feet as she did so her friend didn't have to move much.

"You better or I'm breaking in there to get you out!" Akira's hands set the haphazard flower crown on Frostbite's head, the pale flower petals standing out against her dark hair.

"Yeah right, you wouldn't be able to get past the front gates with that quirk of yours." Frostbite teased and Akira sat upright then, putting a hand to her chest as if she were offended,

"How dare you doubt the power of friendship! It works in manga so it'll work here too!" She stuck her tongue out and Takashi rolled his eyes as the two girls started to rough house and play fight.

He stood up and brushed off his trousers,

"Well we should probably get you home soon Frostie, your parents said they're having Shoto and Creati over for dinner." He said, checking his watch as Akira struggled to get out of the playful headlock Frostbite had her in.

"Alright I give!" She slapped Frostbite's arm and rolled to her feet with a groan. Frostbite accepted the taller girl's hand up and smiled as she pulled Takashi into a group hug before pulling out her cellphone and opening the camera.

"Frostbite and Takashi! Smile! We need one last picture before you leave!" Frostbite huffed a little but smiled nonetheless.

She was really going to miss her friends while she was gone.

When she arrived home, she was greeted with the scents of dinner and the sounds of talking. Changing into her indoor slippers, she followed the sounds of talking into the kitchen where she saw her parents joking with Momo and Shoto. It was nice… To see them all smiling and laughing despite the fact that she wouldn't see them for a long time while working with Doctor Lyst.

Momo noticed her enter the dining area and offered her a bright smile.

"If it isn't the lady of the hour?" Frostbite returned the smile and gave the two pro heroes a proper greeting before hugging her parents.

"How was it with everyone else?" Ochako asked as she kissed her forehead and leaned against the counter as Izuku continued cooking dinner.

"Hm, good. Mina watched Footloose with me and Katsuki took me out for ice cream. Akira and Takashi and I went out to ride bikes after that." She commented, swiping some sliced peppers when Izuku wasn't looking.

"A full day?" Shoto took a sip of his drink and she nodded,

"Mmhm."

The five of them sat around the dining table as Momo and Shoto asked questions about the organization Frostbite would be working with.

"The International Organization of Sickness Eradication… I believe I might've heard of them. I think my parents donated to their charities for a few years." Momo said after looking at the flyer Frostbite had handed to her.

"Charities?" Frostbite asked through a mouthful of soba noodles and Momo shrugged,

"Many organizations host charities or galas to raise money for their cause. In their case, it would be to fund their research towards cures." Momo explained handing the flyer back as they continued eating.

As the two heroes were getting ready to leave, Frostbite stopped them both with a hug,

"I'm gonna miss you guys… You'll keep in touch with me right?" She asked, the situation setting in for the first time. She was going to be far away, hours by car even. And sure they could take planes, but she wasn't sure how busy she was going to be once she got there. Doctor Lyst seemed like the type to be a slave driver. The couple returned the hug, offering reassuring smiles as they did so,

"Of course we will."

…

The next day was it.

Frostbite woke early that morning, at 5:00 to be exact. She wasn't quite sure if she was excited or nervous, then decided she was a bit of both. Afterall, this was the first time she was leaving Izuku and Ochako since O'Malley had died. But on the other hand, _this was the first time she was leaving Izuku and Ochako since O'Malley had died_.

She couldn't even bring herself to eat breakfast, instead taking an apple in the car to shove in her mouth before she arrived at the airport. She dressed in a simple white t-shirt with a pair of dark jeans and her worn sneakers. Plain and simple, she didn't want to bring any of her sweaters for fear of ruining them. As she left the house, she had thrown on a pink zip up jacket and an old denim jacket over top.

Izuku and Ochako both went with her to drop her off at the airport, not wanting to waste a second together with her before she left. They were mostly quiet in the car, with Frostbite not knowing what to say, and all three of them being tired. She sat in the back seat, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket as she watched the few cars on the freeway pass by. Was she supposed to say goodbye? See you later? Nothing at all?

All too soon, the car ride was over and they were parking the car and getting out. She held Izuku's hand as they navigated the people entering and exiting the airport and looked for the next step.

"They didn't happen to tell you what you were to do next did they?" Izuku asked and she shook her head, pulling out the letter with the instructions. No further instructions, just to meet at the airport at 6:30…

Looking up however, she spotted Doctor Lyst making her way through the crowd with her two bodyguards at her sides. She looked rather unimpressed with nearly everyone around her as she came to a stop before the Midoriya family.

"Miss Midoriya, I'm pleased to see you're taking this opportunity to work with us." She said curtly, offering a brief but firm handshake. Frostbite turned to look at Izuku and Ochako,

"Umm… This is Doctor Lyst… She's the CEO of the-"

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you both. And apologies, but we really must get going, the jet will be leaving soon." Doctor Lyst cut her off with an impatient look to her wrist watch and the tapping of her foot.

It was almost funny, watching her have a stare down with Izuku. And Izuku wasn't very tall by any means, in fact he was a few inches shorter than most other men. But she was still a couple of inches shorter than him, though that didn't stop her from very nearly glaring at the number one hero.

Izuku was the first to break eye contact with a sigh before he wrapped Frostbite in a tight hug.

"I love you, you know that right?" He said softly, ruffling her hair and kissing her temple,

"I know, love you too Izuku.." Frostbite replied before turning to give Ochako a hug,

"Call us when you land alright?" She whispered in her ear, smiling when she nodded.

"I will, I promise. Love you!" She called as she turned away and began to follow Doctor Lyst and the two body guards. Just as they were passing through the gates, she turned back and saw her parents; Izuku's arm around Ochako's waist and waving their goodbyes.

…

Immediately things weren't what she was expecting. Instead of boarding a commercial airliner, she was loaded into a private limo and driven to a private runway where a sleek jet was waiting. In the slowly brightening sky, it was almost pretty, the sleek black paint making it look like a drop of ink against the pink skyline. Doctor Lyst was speaking to someone on her phone as the bodyguards ushered them up the stairs and into the jet.

Inside was plush and clean, with comfortable looking leather seats, glossy wooden tables, and lush carpeted floors. It was much fancier than anything she had ever seen. She felt very out of place in her denim jacket and worn sneakers, but that was pushed to the back of her mind as Doctor Lyst spoke to her. She held out what looked like a pair of wireless bluetooth earbuds, ones that were blue and blinking with lights.

"Put these in. They are universal translators that translate what others are saying so we don't have to go through the trouble of hiring translators. Now get settled in, we will be taking off as soon as I finish talking to the pilot." She said and abruptly left her alone.

Frostbite stood in shock for a solid minute; earbuds in hand, before a head peeked over a seat near the middle of the jet and she was face to face with a boy. There were other people coming to the organization? And she knew she had never seen this boy before.

He was about fourteen or fifteen, with tousled caramel brown hair, gray eyes, and pale skin. He had an oxygen mask strapped over his nose and mouth with two tubes connecting from the front of his mask, over his ears, and connected to a tank with backpack straps that sat on the floor next to him. He wore a red hoodie with a bomber jacket over it and jeans with the ends rolled up so they didn't catch on his hiking boots.

The boy waved a tentative hand, a gesture she slowly returned before approaching him slowly, putting in the earbuds in as she did so. They beeped several times before going silent.

"Can I sit here?" She asked quietly and the boy's face lit up in delight,

"Of course! It is always nice to have company!" He had a distinct French accent, but she could understand him perfectly. He had a bright smile stretching across his face. She gave a hesitant smile as she took a seat in the chair next to him. He extended a hand; she noticed he was wearing thick leather gloves, and shook her own enthusiastically.

"My name is Finnegan Conan! It is a pleasure to meet you!"

"Uhh… My name is Frostbite Midoriya… It's nice to meet you too…"

The jet jolted as it began preparations for taking off. Frostbite jumped slightly and buckled her seatbelt as the massive vehicle turned on the runway to get up into the air.

"So where are you from Miss Midoriya? I myself am from Paris, France. Doctor Lyst flew me here just last night." He said as he buckled his own seatbelt, adjusting his oxygen mask as he did so.

"Umm… The Shizuoka Prefecture here in Japan... " She said uneasily, gripping the armrest of the seat as the jet took off. Finnegan didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't mention it.

The flight was short and nerve wracking, she hated planes and jets, she loathed them. But the flight was only an hour and a half, so she was able to relax as soon as it landed. Speaking to Finnegan was a welcome distraction. He was nice, perhaps a bit enthusiastic, but friendly.

Doctor Lyst had disappeared in the beginning of the flight into a separate room for the duration of the flight. The bodyguards taking their places outside the door so she presumably wouldn't be disturbed. She emerged as they were landing, still looking the exact same as she motioned for the two teenagers to follow her. Frostbite stood and waited for Finnegan to swing his oxygen tank onto his back and adjust his mask before he gave her a thumbs up and they exited the jet.

A fancy limo was waiting for them at the end of a fancy carpet. A driver waited, holding the car door open as they all climbed into the vehicle and Frostbite barely had any time to buckle her seatbelt before it started moving.

"Doctor Lyst, how far is it until we get to the facility?" Finnegan asked and Frostbite found herself liking that he was asking all the questions, it was nice to have someone ask the questions so she could stay quiet.

"We'll be arriving shortly." Was all she said before she didn't say more and left them to their silence.

…

Frostbite didn't know what she was expecting when they rolled up to a large wall with iron barred gates. Doctor Lyst had been instructed to exit the car and give some sort of retinal scan and a thumb scan as well as punch in personalized code, way more high tech than Frostbite was expecting. As soon as the doctor climbed back inside the limo, the doors opened and they were waved inside.

The facility itself was a large building that would have been unassuming if not surrounded by a wall with guards patrolling the grounds. Frostbite even spied a few guards with K-9 units, large dogs with tactical dog vests that made them look like they were ready to drag a criminal out of a cave. She couldn't see any windows or even doors, it was completely sealed up. That is, until the winding road they were driving came to a stop before the large white wall of the building. Frostbite almost opened her mouth to say something, anything, when part of the wall sunk into the ground and exposed a sort of tunnel that led slightly underground.

"You may be wondering why we have so many safety precautions taken when we research illnesses, but that is precisely why. If thieves or criminals were to break in, not only would they get their hands on the very illnesses we are trying to destroy. But they would get their hands on unfinished and likely very dangerous cures that haven't been perfected and can do more harm than good to the human body if not administered correctly. Therefore, we have all necessary precautions needed to sufficiently protect our staff and their work." Doctor Lyst explained, looking out the window to the concrete tunnel they were driving down, the bright fluorescent lights making Frostbite's eyes hurt.

The limo came to a stop before a pair of glass sliding doors, the driver dropping them off and then exiting the premises with the vehicle. Finnegan was silent during all of this, taking in everything with wide curious eyes. He occasionally adjusted the straps of his oxygen tank on his back, pulling the sleeves of his jacket down over his gloves as if to make sure they stayed in place. The doors opened before them and they followed Doctor Lyst inside.

It was sterile, white, and extremely clean. No one occupied the corridors as Doctor Lyst led them through several hallways before coming to a set of elevator doors. The button lit up green and the doors opened, revealing a sterile metal box, just as empty as the rest of this place.

"Preliminary tests will take up the remainder of today's schedule, then you will be shown to your rooms where you and the rest of our guests will be staying for your stay." Frostbite frowned, as did Finnegan,

"Guests? How many more people are going to be here?" She blurted, nervous about the fact that she still didn't know 100% what she'd be working with them on. The doctor studied her with a critical eye,

"There were six of you chosen in total. You, Mr. Conan, and four others will be working together with our research team in perfecting some of these cures. Oftentimes, a younger eye is just what we need in making the next breakthrough." The elevator dinged and Doctor Lyst straightened her suit jacket and waited for the doors to open.

"Please do try and get along with everyone, they will be your teammates of sorts over the next few weeks."

The four other people in the room looked up as the door opened. The room itself was a sterile white like the rest of the place, but this room in particular was decorated with couches and tables and various furniture in varying shades of gray and black. But that was it, no plants, no real lighting other than the fluorescent lights, it looked so… dead. So Frostbite distracted herself by studying the people in the room who were still staring. They were in the same general age group, between fifteen and eighteen. all around her same age.

The first one she noticed was the tallest boy in the room and the only one standing instead of sitting. He stood in the corner, looking out what was most likely one-way glass. He was probably six feet tall, with tousled black hair and bright blue eyes, he was pale and he seemed rather nervous about being near so many people even if there were seven people in the room total. He was clenching and unclenching his fists, pausing briefly to yank the sleeves of his blue woolen turtleneck over his hands before crossing them over his chest. He wore a dark gray leather jacket over it, worn trousers that were a size too small and boots that had definitely seen better days. The way that his eyes glanced around the room, darted from her face to Doctor Lyst's, to Finnegan's, it reminded her of nights where she would sit up in bed and wait for nightmares to overtake her dreams and send her awake screaming. With a twitch of her nose, she moved onto the next person.

Another boy, this time with curly black hair hidden underneath a tan beanie and dark brown eyes. He was a bit tanner than the previous boy but not by much, but his face had a few freckles and a scar across the bridge of his nose. He was sitting on one of the couches, clothed in a large trench coat that was several sizes too big. He had scuffed converse propped up on the glass coffee table, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else than here.

The next person looked just as angry. This time it was a girl, with bright red hair and gray eyes. She wore a brown leather jacket over a white shirt that was tucked into baggy camo cargo pants. She was probably the shortest out of the entire group save for Frostbite herself. Her pretty face was twisted in a frown and her lips almost curled in a snarl when she saw Frostbite.

The other girl, and last person in the room, looked almost lost. Though she seemed friendly, offering Frostbite a smile when she saw her. Her skin was a shade or two darker than anyone else's, her curly brown hair pulled back from her face with a purple headband. Her bright brown eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled. She was also dressed like she came from somewhere warm, in a simple tank top and shorts with sandals. Out of everyone, she seemed like she was the least likely to tear Frostbite's throat out.

"Allow me to introduce you to the last two of our guests. This is Finnegan Conan and Frostbite Midoriya." Doctor Lyst waved briefly to the two teenagers as they took a hesitant seat on the sofa next to the girl with darker skin. She offered another smile and held out a hand,

"My name is Cauley. It's nice to meet you." She whispered as Doctor Lyst started a sort of speech about what the rest of today would be about. A projector lowered from the ceiling and a screen lit up in front of them.

"Nice to meet you too… And sorry… I'm sure you want to listen.. But do you know who everyone else is? They don't seem like the friendliest of people…" Frostbite whispered back and shook her hand quickly. Cauley nodded and adjusted her seat so she was facing the rest of the group and not the screen before speaking.

"That tall guy over in the corner, his name is Pwyll McCormin. I think he's from Ireland, he's got the accent for it. But he doesn't say much." Cauley pointed to the tall boy in the knitted sweater who was watching the screen with some apprehension, still fiddling with his gloves.

"The other boy, his name is Wyborn Brooks. Kinda rude, but I think he's from Australia so maybe he's cranky from jet-lag." A gesture at the boy with curly hair in the beanie before she moved on.

"And finally, the redhead girl is Ronnie Wilson. It's short for something, but she cut off Doctor Lyst before she could say what it was. I don't know where she's from, she didn't let Doctor Lyst say much of anything."

Frostbite sat back against the couch cushions, glad to be putting names to faces. She could only hope that they would be kinder than they originally acted.

…

The room was filled with tension so thick it could be cut with a butter knife. Doctor Lyst had left a few minutes earlier to get a man named Doctor Hyde to begin the preliminary tests.

Wyborn had gotten up and began pacing the room, muttering to himself much like Izuku would do when he was trying to figure something out. Cauley seemed just as awkward as Frostbite, Finnegan having set his mind to trying to befriend someone in this room.

"Think he's having any luck?" Cauley leaned over and asked Frostbite who shook her head. The younger boy was attempting to talk to Ronnie who was pointedly ignoring anything the young French boy was saying.

"I doubt it, she doesn't seem like she wants anything to do with him." She replied and flinched when Wyborn slammed his hand against the coffee table, coming to sit down in his original spot.

"Is this all a game to you?" He demanded, his Australian accent thickening with the anger directed towards Cauley and Frostbite.

"Of course not, but it doesn't hurt to make conversation when there's nothing else going on." Cauley shot back, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at the taller boy. They stared at each other for a few moments before he turned his gaze onto Frostbite.

"Your last name is Midoriya right? Any relations to the hero Deku?" The sudden change in topic made Frostbite blink several times,

"Um… yes… he's my father.." She said, skeptical of where this was going.

"Really? I don't see any family resemblance." Wyborn leaned forward and stared at her, it was uncomfortable, his dark eyes seemed to be picking her apart.

"I'm adopted.. He adopted me when I was nine."

"Oh so you're a charity case then?" At this, she flinched.

"W-what? No! That's not what I said at all!"

"You sure? Did they pay their way for you to get in here?"

"N-No! I was picked randomly by Doctor Lyst!" She felt her temper rising and squashed it down, taking a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart. Why was she so tense? She had dealt with people like Wyborn plenty of times before. Why was he getting her so riled up?

"Mister Brooks, if you could refrain from using your quirk in such an enclosed space that would be lovely." Doctor Lyst entered the room again and just like that, it was as if a gunshot went off in the room. Wyborn abruptly shut his mouth, eyes widening and fists clenching as he paled. Then he ducked his head as if ashamed,

"Sorry Midoriya.." He said, sounding almost… scared… of what? Scared of his quirk? Frostbite wasn't able to talk to him again as Doctor Lyst took her spot before the turned off screen and gestured to a man who had followed her into the room.

He was tall and balding with piercing blue eyes that scanned the room. He was dressed in a neatly pressed button down and black trousers with a white lab coat thrown over it. He had a knowing and almost crazy grin on his face as he studied all of their faces. And as if on cue, they all shifted uncomfortably, his eyes making it seem like he was looking at their very souls.

Doctor Lyst didn't seem to notice nor care, instead she gestured to the taller man;

"If I may introduce our head scientist of this facility. This is Doctor Robert Hyde." The man gave a grand bow, straightening up with that same crazy grin.

"It's a pleasure to be workin' with you all. I hope we get along." He said and Frostbite couldn't help but notice the ice cold shiver that ran down her back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Comment Review Time!:**

**fencer29 from FanFiction: Ok ok so fun fact, most of the characters like Robert Hyde and Lyst have some kind of meaning behind their names. Like Robert in Robert Hyde is actually because the guy who wrote it is Robert Stevenson. Doctor Lyst's full name is Doctor Jean Anne Lyst (like analyst).**

**And I can tell you that Hyde doesn't have a partner named Jekyll, I literally just named him Hyde because Hyde is the crazy one of the two.**

_***just a warning here! We go into the descriptions of the six teen's quirks in this chapter and it can get kind of gruesome***_

…

Frostbite couldn't shake the feeling that Doctor Hyde was watching her specifically as all six teens were ushered down the hall and into examining rooms.

She shivered and pulled her denim jacket tighter around her frame as she ducked inside the examining room shown to her by an attending staff member. It was simple and plain, a single exam bed in one corner with a metal stool and some tools to measure her height and weight. A pair of mint colored hospital scrubs and issued undergarments sat on the bed with a bin for dirty clothes and a pair of ankle slippers at the foot of it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a gleaming silver camera; watching her every move.

With a frown, she turned her back to the camera and quickly undressed out of her clothes and threw them into the bin before dressing herself in the given clothes. But not before hiding her cellphone in her slippers and carefully making sure she wouldn't crush the screen when she walked around. Doctor Lyst had specifically said that any belongings weren't to be brought with them, but something said she should keep her phone with her.

Just as she finished tying the drawstring around her trousers, there was a knock at the door. Jumping, she turned to look at said door and waited a few seconds before the knocking happened and then the door opened.

Inside stepped a wiry sort of looking man. He had red hair and a beard with dark eyes. He was dressed in a button down, trousers, and a white coat with a clipboard in hand. And like everyone else, he had the universal translator earbuds in his ears.

"You'd be Miss ah…" His scottish accent was thick as he looked to his clipboard, lifting a paper before tapping something with his pen,

"Miss Frostbite Midoriya yes?" He glanced at her briefly, pushing his glasses up his nose and taking a seat on the metal stool as she nodded. Taking a seat on the examination bed, she clasped her hands in her lap and waited for him to speak again.

"Right, I'm Doctor Ebenezer Louis. I'm the primary physician in this facility and I'll be looking after you and the rest of the lot during your stay here." He explained and scooted the stool over, taking his stethoscope from around his neck. She nodded, seemed simple enough, except…

"Why would we need a physician if we're working on cures?" She asked and Doctor Louis glanced as if he wasn't expecting her to ask questions. He had her turn towards him so he could hear her heartbeat, continuing to talk as he went.

"Honestly, I'm just here to make sure no one gets hurt during the preliminary tests. Deep breath now darling, there's a good girl. Anyway, Doctor Lyst was kind enough to extend this job during your entire stay as a sort of on call doctor. Gives me an opportunity to shorten my prison sentence y'know?" He readjusted the stethoscope so it hung around his neck again and wrote some things down on his clipboard.

"Shorten your sentence? Are you a criminal or something?" She asked, shifting uncomfortable as Doctor Louis tested her reflexes with a small metal reflex hammer.

"I was; professional criminal and all that. I was a nurse before but things changed. I mostly stole information from various companies and sold them for profit. Not the greatest time in my life but it paid the bills. I was caught as you can see and sentenced but Doctor Lyst hired me as a part of a program to help reform prison inmates as a physician for you lot." He explained as he got her to stand so he could get her height and weight measurements.

"You don't come across as a professional criminal…" She said as she watched him closely and he rolled his eyes, thumping her almost good naturedly with his pen.

"Well I'm sorry, lemme make myself look like Hannibal Lector or All for One." He said and she found herself smiling. His easy going personality made the whole situation more comfortable, she liked him.

Frostbite was led out to join the rest of the group down a long hallway with a row of seats where everyone was sitting. Everyone was dressed in identical mint scrubs and slippers, each with varying degrees of disgust and uncomfortableness. Cauley and Finnegan were already talking with each other excitedly and gave her a cheerful wave as they spotted her. However, the only free spot was next to the quiet boy from before, Pwyll McCormin. She approached him warily, he seemed so nervous about being here.. About so much as touching anyone but himself. She didn't want to scare him too much. So she approached him slowly, carefully; he didn't seem to notice until she was right beside him.

"Um…. Can I sit here? All the other seats are taken.." She said hesitantly, almost a whisper.

Pwyll almost jumped out of his skin, turning pale and holding his hands closer to himself as he noticed she was beside him. Frostbite flinched at his severe reaction.

"S-sorry… I can find somewhere else-"

"N-no! My apologies.. I didn't notice you there.. Feel free to sit…" His Irish accent was almost endearing, paired with his bright blue eyes, she couldn't deny that he was good looking. Still hesitant, she took a seat next to the much taller boy and tried to ignore the phone in her slipper. He crossed his arms and shoved his hands under his armpits as if hiding them from anyone who was looking.

"I-I'm Frostbite." She said cautiously and Pwyll offered a nervous smile,

"Pwyll McCormin… I'm sorry about a second ago… But I'm nervous around people…" His explanation was haphazard, as if he wasn't used to talking to people.

"It's okay.. I am too." She offered him a small smile which he returned after a moment's hesitation.

"You- you don't understand… My quirk-"

Just then, Doctor Lyst, Doctor Hyde, and Doctor Louis all entered the room and everyone went quiet.

"Right, let us begin with the preliminary tests. Doctor Hyde will be overseeing these as I have work to be done. Robert if you will?" Doctor Lyst gave a single nod to the man before leaving with her two bodyguards flanking her sides as usual.

"Now that she's gone… Let us start with the tests shall we?" Doctor Hyde gestured for the six of them to follow him down a hall, almost skipping with excitement as he babbled on and on about what tests they were going to be doing. First would be basic tests like their initial physical capabilities (_for reasons Frostbite didn't know and they wouldn't say_), mental fortitude, academic status, and lastly; their quirks. She noticed that all of the teenagers, herself included, tensed up at the mention of using their quirks in front of so many people. Her quirk wasn't suited to be used in such an enclosed space… surely they knew that right?

…

Frostbite didn't know how to feel about the tests. They felt too much like military tests. They were ranked after each test, almost as if they were trying to be put against each other. All scores were out of ten, while the various doctors watching received some sort of data that was important. She didn't know what kind of information they were receiving. But whatever it was, it made Doctor Hyde giddy as he pranced about the room.

They were all cycled through the various tests. All six of them were put into a room in front of computer screens and told to follow the instructions on screen. First it was the academic test; which she was average at, Cauley had scored the highest on that one. Then it was the mental test designed to test your mental fortitude and emotional stability; Ronnie and Frostbite tied on that one. Each test took several hours to complete, they hadn't even been given lunch.

Once they all finished, they were led to the second to last test.

The physical test.

She watched as the other teenagers took their turn measuring how much weight they could all lift, how fast it took to run a certain distance, etc.

Frostbite herself was breathing steadily through the oxygen mask placed over her nose and mouth as she ran on a treadmill. All she could hear was the sounds of her own heartbeat and breathing, but that didn't bug her as much as the fact that her glasses kept slipping down her nose with the sweat. The doctor monitoring her gave her a nod and upped the speed. Already she was at nearly a full sprint, lungs burning as she pushed herself as hard as she could.

With a wave of his hand, the doctor doing her test slowed the treadmill to a stop and took the necessary data before handing her a water bottle. Never had water tasted better than in that moment. She hoped she hadn't broken her phone screen too much while running though…

Doctor Hyde waved her over excitedly as she wiped her face off with a towel and cringed at the feeling of her scrubs sticking to her skin.

"Come come! Now we begin the final test! The quirk assessment test!" He crowed and waved erratically to a large empty room. They could see inside through a large one way window, the interior of the room was padded, almost like a padded cell.

"You'll be going in one at a time, following the instructions, and whoop de doo you'll be done!" He quickly spun on Wyborn; who flinched and recoiled, and grabbed his arm.

"Now Wyborn my boy, you're first!"

Wyborn looked like he was on the borderline of having a panic attack. His hands trembled, teeth clenched as he stepped into the empty room. A panel on the other side of the wall opens up just as the door shuts behind him and a large pane of what looked like glass extended out on a robotic arm. The glass lit up in the form of a woman with blonde hair, dressed in a form fitting white dress.

"State name." It sounded in a clear, female, english accent and Wyborn jumped.

"Uh… Wyborn Brooks…"

"Processing… Processing…. Name processed. Wyborn Brooks: Age; Nineteen. Commence quirk analysis. Activate quirk and a sample will be taken and processed." The cool voice instructed in a monotonous tone, and Frostbite found herself watching with genuine interest. Maybe she picked it up from Izuku getting so excited about new quirks, but she genuinely wanted to see what everyone could do.

The tall boy hesitated once more before the robot repeated its instructions and he sighed. Clenching and unclenching his hands before taking a deep breath and holding it. After a few seconds, he exhaled and she saw a faint purple mist leave his hands and lips. The mist swirled and changed, growing thicker in its deep violet color until a purple haze filled the room. The robot seemed to pause as the robotic-like woman on screen blinked once… twice… then it spoke again.

"Quirk analyzed. Quirk diagnosis: Adrenaline. By inhaling the mist, the body begins to experience an adrenaline rush. Side effects of the mist are: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, cardiac arrest, seizures, and death. Quirk analysis complete. Commencing air recycling."

There was the faint whirring of fans as all of the purple mist was sucked out of the room. Doctor Hyde explained that the AC system was built with the possibility of chemical attacks or accidents in mind. The system could change out an entire floor's worth of air at the rate of six seconds per room. Said system was being implemented when analyzing quirks of various forms.

Everyone else had their turns inside the room and asked to demonstrate their quirks. And Frostbite noticed something.

They all had gas based quirks. And they all had fatal side effects. But her own was still entirely unique.

Cauley released a colorless gas (_that apparently smelled like pickles to her_) that was revealed to be similar in chemical makeup to formaldehyde. The robot woman said the side effects of being exposed to the gas caused cancer in the tissues of a body and her quirk sped up the process until it shut down the lungs, digestive system, and brain function, killing whoever came in contact with her quirk. The entire process could take as short as twenty seconds.

Finnegan was revealed to be unable to breath oxygen. Instead, his body inhaled and exhaled carbon monoxide. That explained the tank and oxygen mask over his face. If he didn't have it, he would literally suffocate to death, but if others inhaled the gas, they would die from Co2 poisoning. With his quirk, he could release thick gray gas that almost looked like car exhaust from his fingertips.

Ronnie was perhaps one of the scarier quirks out of all of them. She released a greenish-yellow gas that filled the room almost with a vengeance. The robot revealed her quirk was called 'Bubonic'. After the bubonic plague, it caused many, if not all of the symptoms. Massive bubos all over the body, discoloring of the skin, coughing of blood, the swelling of the neck, among other symptoms that Frostbite didn't want to even think about.

She almost felt bad for Pwyll. He seemed so scared of taking his gloves off and showing his quirk, even after he had been reassured multiple times that he would be the only one exposed and everyone else was safe behind the glass and doors. After a few moments, he relented and pink gas seeped from his clenched fists. Analysis of his quirk revealed it was called "Rigor Mortis". The gas he released would suffocate a person and then take the decomposition process that would normally take months and speed it up until it took about a minute. She could see why he was scared of it.

Finally it was her turn and she found herself getting nervous. She approached the door, brushing by Pwyll who was hastily shoving his hands into his gloves and passing by quickly. At the doorstep, she hesitated.

"Well go on then! We don't have all day!" Ronnie snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, she had been like this after showing off her quirk. But Frostbite didn't move,

"Um… would anyone happen to have a pair of safety goggles…?" She asked hesitantly and Doctor Hyde tilted his head,

"Now why would we need safety goggles-"

"Not for you, for me… Prolonged exposure to my own quirk causes my eyesight to deteriorate… That's why I'm wearing glasses." She cut him off and he stared for a few moments before letting out a dramatic sigh and gesturing for a security guard to give her some. They were rather bulky, they almost looked like snowboarding goggles, but they would work. Now equipped with eye protection, she swapped her glasses for the goggles and slipped her frames into her scrubs pocket and stepped into the room.

The door hissed shut behind her and the robot voice sounded.

"State name."

"Frostbite Midoriya."

"Processing… Processing… Name processed. Frostbite Midoriya: Age; Seventeen. Commence quirk analysis. Activate quirk and a sample will be taken and processed." She chewed on her lip before beginning to breathe deeply. The green gas leaving her mouth moved slower than everyone else's gas quirks, but it also stuck to the walls, floor, ceiling.

"Quirk analyzed. Quirk diagnosis-" Then she snapped her fingers and the room exploded.

Even after all her training, she sometimes forgot just how catastrophic her quirk could be. The room shook, the window vibrated in its pane, and she was blown off her feet. The room was filled with pressurized Co2 to put out any fires she may have started. She clamped her eyes and lips shut, holding her hands over her face and held her breath while she waited for the fire extinguishers to stop.

Approximately six seconds later, she removed her frosted over goggles with slightly blistered fingertips and got to her feet. She'd have to get that looked at, it looked like the beginning of frostbite. Oh how she missed wearing fire-proof clothing. The door hissed open and she stepped out, patting down the smoking parts of her scrubs and slipped on her glasses.

Everyone was watching slack jawed and in awe. Doctor Hyde looked down right maniacal, with his crazed gleam and wide grin that stretched across his face.

"That was absolutely magnificent!" He bounded forward and clamped his hands onto her shoulders, seemingly not noticing the fact that they were still smoking. She flinched and quickly extracted herself from his hold. His touch made her feel gross, like she was covered in slime.

At that point, it was getting close to the evening. The six of them were led to a barren cafeteria where they were served a rather sad looking dinner of mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, and what looked like a chicken patty slathered in a red sauce. It was horribly bland, leading her to pushing it around her tray before resigning herself to eating. She was starving after all the tests they had done, they hadn't even been given a break for lunch. Everyone sat at different tables, keeping their heads down and no one spoke a word.

It wasn't until they were leaving the cafeteria that she saw Doctor Lyst again. The woman was talking to Doctor Hyde, nodding along to the crazy man who was waving his arms erratically. Glancing towards the guards, she chewed on her lip before jogging over to them.

"Um.. Excuse me.." She had to make a conscious effort to talk above a nervous mumble, clasping her hands together in tight fists. Doctor Lyst gave her a sharp look and she tried to ignore the feeling that she wanted to run away.

"Well if it isn't the girl with an explosive quirk!" Doctor Hyde grabbed her hand and shook it erratically,

"I really look forward to workin' with you y'know?! Your quirk is going to do great things!" He backed off when Lyst whacked his arm,

"What did you want Miss Midoriya?" She asked and Frostbite had to think to remember why she had approached them in the first place.

"Um.. I was just wondering.. Will I be able to contact my parents?" It was quiet for a moment before Hyde snorted,

"Now why would you want to do that?" At this Frostbite blinked,

"... Because they're my parents? I'm going to miss them. I want to talk to them." She said hesitantly, was he expecting her to just ignore them and forget they existed? That wasn't going to happen.

Doctor Lyst sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We'll figure something out tomorrow. It's time you all head off to your rooms now. The guards will show you the way." She waved the girl off with a nonchalant wave of her hand.

"I want to speak to them now! Let me borrow a phone or-" She felt hands grab her shoulders as Lyst gave a pointed look to the guards.

"Take her to her room please. We have data to finish recording."

…

Frostbite ignored the almost deafening silence as guards led her to her 'dorm room'. It was a plain room, and almost ridiculously tiny. All furniture was either steel or white, no decorations, no windows, and a single camera in the top corner of the room by the door. The bed was more of a cot, with a single white pillow and sheets with a white comforter folded at the end of the bed and a bedside table directly to the side. Across from the cot was a desk and a small wardrobe shoved next to each other. The desk was barren except for a single spiral bound notebook and pen sitting in the center of it with a small lamp in the corner. The wardrobe held a row of scrubs identical to the ones she was wearing with socks, bras, and underwear in small baskets at the bottom of the wardrobe. The guards promptly shut the door behind her and left her to the darkened room

With a quiet sigh, she quickly spread the comforter over the bed and slid under the covers, slipping her cellphone out of her slippers before kicking them off and setting them on the floor. She hid her head under the covers of the blanket and powered the device on. She squinted at the momentary brightness and adjusted it before blinking at all the notifications that blew up her phone once it received cell service. So many unread texts, most were from her parents, with some from Akira and Takashi, as well as some from Bakugo and his team, Shoto, Momo, and even Toshinori and Inko. With a small smile, she dialed Izuku's number and held it to her ear, praying the camera in her room was just video and didn't have audio.

There was a click and then,

"Hello?" Izuku.

"Um.. Hi Izuku…" It was silent, and then an explosion of noise.

"Frostbite! You had us worried sick! You didn't call when you landed and we couldn't reach you!" Ochako this time and Frostbite realized she was probably on speaker.

"Sorry… Um… They aren't allowing phones so I had to hide mine, Doctor Lyst said I could call you tomorrow but I didn't want to wait…" A moment of silence before her parent's voices came over the phone,

"We're just glad you're safe, we were really worried about you."

"I know, and I'm sorry.."

They talked about the small things after that. Frostbite complained about the bland food they had been given and her parents talked about the hero work they had done that day. She told them about how she had made two new friends in Cauley and Finnegan and maybe Pwyll then went on to tell them about the rest of the other two. They were hesitant about her being around them with their quirks being so dangerous, but then she reminded them she blew up a room and they quieted down.

Eventually though, they had to hang up.

"I miss you guys…" She said softly, Ochako had gone to bed since she had to get up in a few hours, leaving just Izuku on the phone.

"We miss you too sweetheart, we love you so much."  
"I love you too… I'll call you as soon as I can okay?" She rubbed her nose and eyes furiously, refusing to let tears fall. She had only been away for a day, she couldn't break down so soon.

"Alright, sweet dreams Frostbite…" There was a click, and she hung up, shoving her phone under her pillow and setting her glasses on the bedside table and burying her face in the pillow.

She missed her parents…

She wanted to go home.


End file.
